The U.S. military said it had shot down an armed, Iranian-made drone that had been bearing down on its forces near a garrison in Syria's southeast on Tuesday, in the latest sign of increasingly frequent confrontation with Damascus and its allies, APA reports quoting Reuters.
Earlier this week, a US F/A 18 fighter jet shot down a Syrian regime war plane after it dropped bombs near US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in the area around the city of Tabqah in Northern Syria.
The US shot down another Iranian UAV near At Tanf on June 8 after it dropped a bomb on US-backed militias operating in the area.
Over the weekend, a USA fighter jet downed a Syrian warplane after Bashir al-Assad's troops attacked positions of US backed forces fighting against ISIS.
On Sunday, the U.S. shot down a Syrian warplane for the first time, prompting Russian Federation to issue a threat to coalition aircraft flying west of the River Euphrates, saying they "will be considered air targets".
On Monday, Russia threatened to shoot down any coalition jets flying west of the Euphrates river, after the US shot down a Syrian warplane over the weekend.
Russian Federation has suspended its communication channel with the United States on military operations in Syria after a USA jet shot down a Syrian warplane on Sunday, with Moscow accusing Washington of failing to issue a warning.
The U.S. failure to coordinate with local forces prior to Sunday's downing of a Syrian warplane infuriated Russian Federation, which called the attack "a cynical violation of Syria's sovereignty" as well as "a flagrant violation of worldwide law and an actual military aggression against the Syrian Arab Republic".
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Forty-three people (15 males and 28 females) did not cease their demonstration activities and were arrested. Those who did not comply were arrested and charged with crowding and obstructing.
The Syrian plane destroyed on Sunday, a Su-22 fighter bomber, was hit after reportedly dropping bombs near the town of Tabqa in Raqqa province.
Syrian state television, quoting army sources, said they had resumed the offensive, which took place as U.S. and Russian officials were holding another round of secret talks on creating a "de-escalation zone" in southwestern Syria that would include Daraa.
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The U.S. -led Combined Joint Task Force said the drone displayed "hostile intent" as it approached the outpost. Tuesday's incident marked the third time the US has shot a pro-government aircraft from the sky within a month.
The US' General Joseph Dunford had stated that "we made every effort to warn those individuals not to come any closer and then the commander made a judgment that it was a threat to the forces that we are supporting and took action".
The U.S. has maintained its broadening military involvement in Syria is part of the global fight against ISIS, and has avoided engaging directly with the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad and the larger civil war playing out in Syria.
USA support of anti-Islamic State militias such as the ones in At Tanf and the Syrian Democratic Forces has increasingly put it into direct conflict with Syria and its allies Russia, Iran, and Shiite militias.
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